Hearing Tests

What to expect at your initial consulation….

Keep in mind, because of the personalized care we provide, this entire visit can take 1- 1 ½ hours.

You will fill out a short questionnaire, mostly about your hearing difficulties, but also about your dexterity, your goals, and your financial expectations as well.

Then, there’s the hearing test.  You’ll be walked back to our quiet sound booth where you’ll be put through a simple but thorough test of your hearing acuity and speech understanding ability.

Then, our Audiologist will go over the results and talk more about your needs.

If hearing aids are recommended, we’ll discuss the options, the ranges in features and prices, and together decide on one or a few choices.  You’ll have an opportunity to listen to one or more options in the office via a demo instrument. And if it goes well, you have the option of “test-driving” a demo set for a few days. This will help you understand how the hearing aids will perform in a variety of settings.  Some patients “test drive” more than one model before making a final decision.

After the demo, you may decide to order your own aids.  The manufacturing process can take a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the customization of the hearing aids or whether we already have the model you need in stock.   The fitting appointment will be scheduled for you, and you will return for the delivery of your instruments in that specified time frame.

Hearing Aids

The Right Technology Level for you….

The amount of hearing loss you have does not determine what hearing aid you need…YOU DO! All hearing aids will improve volume, but not all features are created equal.  Choose the features that best fit your needs as well as your budget.  And keep in mind, there is no “perfect” hearing aid.  What works best for one person may give someone else a different result. 

Key decision-making factors: 

1. Environments where you need the most benefit
2. Adjustments vs automatic smart technology
3. Future fine-tuning needs
4. Price

TIER 1 “Economy Level “-  Most Affordable, Least Featured.  This level is preferred by those wanting the most affordable option, and who are not spending much of their time in challenging listening environments.  If you stay home quite a bit, hope to watch TV at a lower volume for the comfort of others, or gather in small groups in mostly quiet environments, this product line is right for you.  Its limited noise reduction features make is less well-suited for large groups, restaurants, and outdoor environments. 

Tier 2 “Essential” – This level offers additional fine-tuning options to better match your hearing test results and allows for more discreet after fitting adjustments for your preferences than the tier 1 products.  There are still limited noise reduction features, but a bit more than economy level.  If you enjoy watching TV or movies and need to hear better at lower volume levels, enjoy the sounds of nature but aren’t hearing them anymore, spend time in smaller casual conversation groups, attend less busy restaurants or limit you large social gatherings, this is the technology right for you. 

Tier 3 “Advanced” – This level is a nice jump from the other two when it comes to adjustability and noise features.  More automatic smart technology comes with this level, meaning less volume changes manually when your environment changes form quiet to noisier.  If you enjoy larger gatherings, enjoy indoor and outdoor social events, spend time in groups playing cards, spending time with children, attend busier restaurants or attend them at crowded times, this technology may fit your needs with more flexibility than the lower levels. 

Tier 4 “Premium” – This technology level has it all. All the research and development in hearing aids is focused into this level.  You will not sacrifice anything at this tier.  However, it does come with the highest cost.  Noisy environments are more comfortable and this tier is the most fully automatic, meaning less or no manual adjustments.  If you are a busy or very social person and your environments are varied (inside, outside, small and large groups) and you need to hear your best in EVERY place, this is the level for you. 

Wax Removal

At Beloit Hearing, we get many referrals from local physicians for wax removal. We also get plenty of people who have found our services on their own. Most come to us on a routine basis to keep the wax build-up in their ears from becoming uncomfortable or affecting their hearing or hearing aid function.

To remove wax from our patients’ ears, Dr. Smith uses forceps and curettes or small hooked tools to gently grab and pull the wax from the ear canal. No powerful water flushing and no suction are even used. If there is an instance when the wax is too impacted to be removed in this way, she may offer home treatment and a return visit to minimize discomfort.

Wax removal is $20 for one or both ears.

The majority of routine visits are scheduled every 6 -12 months. But some patients come as frequently as every 4-6 weeks, depending of the amount of wax build-up that they experience. If there is no wax at a follow up appointment, there is no charge. We’ll work with you to find a schedule that works best for your ears.

Hearing Aid Maintenance/Rejuvenation

We are proud to offer the REDUX system in our Beloit location. The REDUX is a professional hearing aid restoration system that removes moisture (the #1 cause of hearing aid malfunction or degraded performance) from your hearing aids in a quick 10-30 minute session.

This is not just a hearing aid dryer or vacuum. It is a powerful system to restore function to aids that are dead or weak. Call or stop in to find out if REDUX can help you extend and improve the performance of your hearing aids.

Custom Fit Ear Protection

Earplugs that are custom fit provide optimal comfort and performance by ensuring a correct fit each time (helping to increase compliance with hearing protection use).

These earplugs can be corded or uncorded, can be metal detectable or floatable, and come in a variety of colors. Prices vary depending on options.